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First-round pick is inked, Phils move on

First-round pick is inked, Phils move on

SAN DIEGO -- The Phillies ensured Friday's deadline for signing players selected in June's First-Year Player Draft didn't come into play with their top pick, Anthony Hewitt.

The third baseman received a $1,380,000 bonus and has been playing at Class A Clearwater since early July. The right-hander has played in 26 games for the Gulf Coast Phillies, hitting .220 with one home run and seven RBIs.

After getting Hewitt into the program July 1, Philadelphia attempted to sign the other 52 players it selected. Seventeen remain unsigned -- with Johnny Coy remaining from the first 10 rounds.

That will remain the case.

"We're not signing him," assistant general manager Mike Arbuckle said. "Their asking price has gone through the roof, so we decided to move on."

Coy, a seventh-rounder who can play basketball and baseball at University of Arizona, was seeking first-round money, and the Phillies didn't see the infielder as first-round talent.

"You're willing to pay at a certain rate," Arbuckle said. "Overall, we're happy with who we were able to sign. I think it was a successful Draft."

The Phillies signed high-school right-hander Jarred Cosart, a 38th-round pick, in the hour leading up to the deadline. His fastball has been clocked as high as 94 mph.